CHAPTER TWO:
NOTHING BUT A GOOD TIME.

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SCHOOL WAS HELL for Jude, and it always had been for as long as he'd been forced to attend since the age of six. He was smart, but not in the sense that he could remember dozens of mathematical equations or chemistry formulas no matter how hard he used to try. He had a genuine way with words, finding it was easier to create stories and plot them out rather than plotting formulas that he wouldn't even need to know beyond high school. He could remember bits and pieces of information he'd learned, but it was typically the parts he didn't need to remember that seemed to stick. He struggled to keep his grades up since middle school, only ever having above a C in his English and music classes.

Phoenix was the smart one in the Musso family, always getting straight A's and snatching the highest scores on almost every exam. River couldn't be more proud of his little sister, always making sure to tell her he saw the effort she put into her work and praising her for it. It would make Jude frown whenever he heard the two of them, but Jude accepted the fact River would never be proud of him.

Phoenix was the star of their family, not him.

Jude ignored the thought and just tried to focus on his schoolwork that day, but he struggled to pay attention to anything as he wandered from class to class without acknowledging anyone or anything. His mind wandered to his music, absentmindedly coming up with catchy tunes that effortlessly flowed together. He jotted them down in his notebook as fast as they popped into his head, ignoring what his teachers were saying at the front of the classrooms. His textbooks were hardly ever open like everyone else's, missing what his teachers were saying. Their monotone voices were just background noises to the boy, barely being acknowledged by Jude as he attempted to come up with a new song. By the time lunch finally rolled around, he was nearly finished with the song.

Elliot happily munched on his banana and peanut butter sandwich, raising a brow when he saw Jude scribbling down some music notes next to him. "Are you writin' another song?" he wondered, tilting his head as he tried to get a closer look.

Jude quickly closed the book, letting out a sigh. "Wha-I, uh, yeah," he said, nodding his head.

"Come on, man," Elliot sighed, swallowing his bite of his sandwich. "When are you gonna let me see? It's been months since you showed me what you were workin' on."

Jude breathed out a quiet laugh, shrugging his shoulders. "I. . .I just wanna like it before I show anyone. That's all."

Elliot just hummed in response, playfully rolling his eyes. He picked up his tray, walking over to the trash can behind them. Jude grabbed his book bag and sat it on the table, slipping his notebook back inside since they only had a few minutes left before lunch was over. Chatter filled the cafeteria, sometimes an occasional shout coming from a table at the other end; typically the place where Eddie Munson and his friends all sat. Jude noticed a couple more freshmen were starting to sit with them, though Jude didn't pay too much attention to them.

"Where the hell is he?"

Jude furrowed his brows together, turning around to look behind him. His expression instantly fell, noticing who was talking to Elliot. It was Mikey Callahan, the nephew of Officer Phil Callahan. He had short blond hair that was typically swept back, sometimes a smelly gel keeping it in place. He was always wearing his basketball jersey, wanting to make sure everyone knew exactly who he was. Jude could see a hint of black eye still remaining on his eye; the one Jude had given him almost a week ago after the boy tried to mess with Elliot.

Two of Mikey's friends were standing behind him, Oliver Huron and Rodney Moira. Oliver was shorter and paler than the other two, but he was quick on the court and often assisted in the basketball team getting just one more point that put them in the lead. He was wearing a Hawkins High hoodie and blue jeans, the ends rolled up as they were too long. Rodney was average height with dark skin and jet black hair. He was wearing his jersey well, a band tee sticking out underneath. There was a scar on his jaw, something Jude hadn't noticed until then. But, Jude's eyes swiveled back to Mikey. His face hardened when he saw how close Mikey was standing to Elliot, his fingers twitching at his side like he was itching to hit something.

"Who?" Elliot asked, narrowing his eyes on the older boy.

"You know who━━━" Mikey turned his head when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, smirking when he saw Jude rise from the table. Elliot's eyes slightly widened, shooting Jude a look that warned him not to do anything he'd regret. That same morning River reminded Jude that he couldn't get into any more trouble. Though, that was already long forgotten. "Well, look who it is."

"Yep, it's me," Jude said, slipping his book bag on his shoulder. He walked closer, stopping beside Elliot. His eyes scanned Mikey and his friends, raising a brow as he looked at Mikey. "What do you want?"

"Nothin', nothin'," Mikey nonchalantly shrugged. Jude narrowed his eyes, stealing a subtle glance at Elliot who wore a similar expression. "Just some payback. An eye for an eye."

Jude breathed out a laugh, raising his brows. "Have you ever heard the rest of that expression? Or did my punch from the other day knock it out of you?"

Mikey clenched his jaw, taking a step closer. Jude didn't deter, standing his ground. Elliot tensed, noticing some of the other students had started to stare. "I'm gonna knock that smirk right off your face, wastoid."

"You can try."

"Jude, River said━━━"

"Oh, 'River said', huh?" Mikey loudly laughed, a mischievous glint in his icy blue eyes. "You think you're tough shit because your brother's a cop, but newsflash━━━you're just a loser. Just like your dad." Jude clenched his jaw, feeling his hands ball up into fists. He hated being compared to his father. "Your whole family is a fucking joke. The only good thing about your family is your sister's ass━━━"

It all happened so fast.

Stunned gasps were heard all throughout the cafeteria, a few shouts of "Fight!" echoing in the room. Every student shot up from their seats, quickly circling around to try and get the best view of the fight. Shouts of encouragement came from Mikey's friends, egging him on to kick Jude's ass as he climbed on top of the boy. Elliot was doing the opposite, shouting at him to stop.

Mikey threw another punch at Jude's face, but Jude grabbed Mikey's shoulder, bringing his head forward as he slammed his head into his. Mikey loudly groaned, toppling off of Jude as he cradled his throbbing skull. Jude quickly sat up, climbing on top of Mikey. Elliot's voice was non-existent to Jude as he repeatedly punched Mikey in the face, no doubt giving him another black eye on the other side. He felt gruff hands grab his shoulders, but he forced them off by shoving the figures away.

"What is going on in here?!"

Jude's eyes widened, his hands instantly letting go of Mikey. He saw students being pushed out of the way and the realization of what would happen dawned on him. So, he did the first thing that popped into his mind.

He ran.

He clambered off of Mikey, snatching up his book bag that had slipped off his shoulder when he swung at Mikey. Mikey's friends shouted at him, calling him all kinds of names as he forced his way through the amused crowd. A couple of teachers reached the middle of the circle, gaping at the sight of Mikey laid on the floor with another black eye and a busted lip, blood dribbling down from his nose.

They didn't even need to ask who did it.

They knew it was Jude.

Jude sprinted into the vacant hallway, moving as fast as he could to the exit at the very end. A teacher poked his head out of one of the classrooms after he saw a student running, shouting at him to come back so he could write him up. Jude just ignored him. There was no time to stop.

He burst through the double doors, nearly trampling down the stairs until he caught himself on the railing. He let out a shaky breath, frantically feeling around in his pockets for his keys. He breathed in relief when he felt them in his back pocket and pulled them out. He took off again, not stopping until he was swinging open the door of his van and inside. He tossed his bag in the passenger seat and put the key in ignition.

"Jude Musso! You get back here this instant!"

Jude's wide eyes looked up, a hint of panic striking his heart when he saw the principal angrily walking toward the van. He turned the ignition, shaking his head when it stalled. "No, no, no," he muttered, trying again. "Fuck! Start you piece of━━━"

The van erupted with life and Jude let out a triumphant shout, quickly backing out of the spot.

"JUDE MUSSO!"

He quickly drove out of the parking lot, not even looking back as he drove as far away from the school as he possibly could. His heart was racing as adrenaline fervently pumped through his veins. He glanced down at his hands, gulping when he saw the cuts and blood smeared on his knuckles. He stole a look at himself in the rear view mirror, sucking a sharp breath when he saw the cut on his eyebrow, a red mark on his cheek, and some blood on lower lip.

He shook his head and adjusted his hands around the steering wheel, puffing out his cheeks.

"God. . .I'm so fucked."

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"Oh, Jude Musso, to what do we owe the pleasure this time?"

"Hi, Flo," Jude said, offering the woman a cheeky smile. "Would you care for a glazed donut? Or maybe a sprinkled one?"

Florence, the Secretary at the Hawkins Police Station, just blinked up at the young boy as she sat at her desk. She adjusted her glasses, raising a brow at the boy. She noticed his bandaged knuckles, some hints of blood speeing through them. There was a small bandage on his eyebrow, and she could see the bruising on his face along with the cut on his lip. "No, but I would like you to return to school where you should be right now."

"We don't have school today," Jude quickly lied.

"Jude, I might look young, but I wasn't born yesterday." Jude softly chuckled, nodding at the older woman. He adjusted the box of donuts in his hand, twisting his lips as he held the woman's gaze. "You might wish you were still once your brother sees you."

At that, Jude's smile dropped. "What?"

"You don't think he got a call about what happened?"

"Oh, shit," Jude breathed out, his eyes darting around the station for any sign of his brother. He couldn't see him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't step into the room once he heard his brother was there. He had to leave before it was too late.

"'Oh, shit' is right."

Jude nervously gulped, body tensing as he heard his brother's voice come from behind him. He slowly turned around, twisting his lips as she faced River. His hands were placed on his hips, eyes narrowed though Jude could clearly see the fury etched in his green eyes. His jaw was clenched, sucking in sharp breaths as he did his best to keep his cool in front of his co-workers. He took in Jude's face, shaking his head. "Hey, Riv. . ." Jude said, sheepishly smiling as he held up the box of donuts. "Care for a donut?"

"My office," River snapped, pointing his finger down the hall. "Now."

Jude nodded and quickly walked forward, feeling eyes on him as he headed down the hall. River was close behind him, eyes most likely burning holes in the back of Jude's head. When Jude finally reached River's office, he took a seat in one of the chairs by his desk. He heavily sighed as he set the box of donuts in the other chair and leaned back in the chair. River quietly shut the door behind him and walked to the other side of his desk, shooting daggers at his little brother through his eyes as he sat down across from Jude.

Jude glanced down at his lap, avoiding his brother's gaze. "River━━━"

"What the fuck were you thinking?" River demanded to know, keeping his voice low as not to allow his co-workers to overhear their conversation. "Huh? God dammit, Jude."

"I can explain━━━"

"Oh, you have an explanation for this?" River asked, raising his brows as he sharply glared at Jude.

Jude heavily sighed, lifting his head to finally look River in the eye. "Yes."

River nodded his head, momentarily twisting his lips. He casually leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm listening."

Jude leaned back in his chair, biting the inside of his cheek. "He started it."

"Oh, hell, Jude━━━"

"He did! He was━━━"

"You threw the first punch," River interjected, throwing his hand out as he spoke. "You gave the same kid a black eye━━━on the other eye━━━a busted lip, and possibly a broken nose. You're in serious shit, Jude. And it didn't help that you fled the scene the minute the teachers came in."

Jude clenched his jaw, shaking his head as he looked to the side. There was a small bookshelf against the wall, rows of classic books lining the shelves along with framed pictures of the Musso siblings; most were from before their father left. "He said something about Nix."

"What?" River asked, not catching the last part.

"He said something about Nix, alright?" Jude snapped, looking at River again with a fire burning in his dark eyes. River shifted, his features faltering every so slightly. "He said the only good thing about her family was her ass. What-was I supposed to just let him get away with saying that shit?"

River sighed, closing his eyes. He lowered his head, running his fingers along his brows. He hated it, but he understood why Jude did it. If he'd been in Jude's place, he wasn't so sure if he would've done anything differently. However, this wasn't about him. This was about Jude, and Mikey Callahan.

River shifted in his seat, leaning forward again to rest his arms on his desk. Jude carefully watched him, waiting for an outburst. "Jude. . .what's going on?" Jude scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Come on. Talk to me."

"Why? It's not like you actually give a shit."

"Hey, watch your mouth," River said, pointing a finger at Jude. Jude rolled his eyes again, puffing out his cheeks. River took a sharp inhale, shaking his head as he stared off to the side for a couple of seconds. Then he focused his attention on Jude again. "I'm tryin' to help you, Jude."

"No you're not," Jude said. "You're trying to help yourself."

"You know that's not true━━━"

"Yes it is. You only care what I'm doing when it messes with your work. You think I'm a fuck up just like dad and that I'll ruin━━━"

"Stop, stop. Stop it!" River snapped, angrily shaking his head. "That is not true, Jude."

"Whatever." Jude stood up, going to make his way to the door when it suddenly opened.

He jumped in surprise, his expression faltering when he saw Amanda Callahan, Officer Phil Callahan's sister-in-law, standing there with Mikey right behind her. River quickly stood up, clearing his throat as he walked around his desk. He shot them a fake smile, coming to a stop beside Jude. "Mrs. Callahan. What can I do for you?"

"You can start by arresting that menace of a brother you have," Amanda snapped, glowering as she looked between River and Jude in disgust. River heavily sighed, wondering if Officer Callahan would come to join his sister-in-law and nephew this time. They'd always had a good working relationship, something River was grateful for since he really didn't have too many friends since so much of his time was spent either at work or taking care of his siblings. However, River wasn't so sure it would last if Jude and Mikey continued to get into fights with each other.

"Why don't you two just take a seat and━━━"

"No," Amanda sharply interjected, shaking her head. "You're not going to bail him out this time, Detective Musso." River quietly sighed, doing his best to hide his annoyance from the seething woman. "He's gone too far this time. I won't let this slide. We want to press charges."

"Amanda, I already told you━━━"

"He's your goddamn nephew, Phil." Phil Callahan appeared in the doorway along with his now boss, Chief Calvin Powell. "You should be taking his side. Not the kid of fucking Carter Musso."

"Mrs. Callahan━━━"

"Officer Callahan, why don't you take them to my office?" Chief Powell suggested, giving the officer a subtle look that told him that was more of an order than a suggestion. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Amanda huffed, taking one last glance at River and Jude. "You boys are just like your father."

Mikey smirked at that, but Phil grabbed his arm and nudged Amanda in the direction of Powell's office. Once they were out of sight Calvin sighed, turning his head to look between River and Jude. "Kid, what the hell were you thinking?" he asked.

"He wasn't," River said, shaking his head. "That's his problem."

Chief Powell stepped over to the door, quietly closing. Then he walked a little closer, placing his hands on his belt. "What'd the school say?" he wondered, looking at River as he spoke.

"Oh, he's suspended. Two weeks," River said, scoffing under his breath. "But he's gotta go in tomorrow to get all of his school work."

Jude tried to refrain from smiling. Being suspended was much more enjoyable than simply getting detention. Powell nodded. "I think I can talk his mother down, but River. . ."

"I know, I know," River nodded, fully aware of what his boss was already going to say. "It won't happen again."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," he said, glancing over at Jude. Jude looked away, instead choosing to peer down at his tattered shoes. "Kid, I know you got a lot going on, but this isn't the way to deal with it. You're gonna have to figure somethin' else out before you do something you can't take back."

Jude just nodded, keeping his focus on his shoes. "Jude," River said.

"Yeah, I know," he snapped, lifting his head to glare at River. He shook his head and Powell slightly frowned. Jude turned his head, gaze landing on the Chief. "Sorry."

"Don't tell me sorry," Powell said, starting to move towards the door. "Start provin' you're sorry."

Then he walked out, shutting the door behind him. River and Jude were left alone again, the tense silence attempting to swallow them whole. "Go home, Jude," River finally said, returning to his seat behind desk.

Jude furrowed his brows together, partially turning to look at his brother. "What about Phoenix━━━"

"I'll pick her up," River said. "You just go home. We'll talk more tonight."

"But━━━"

"I don't wanna hear it. Just go, Jude."

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wow, this took a lot longer than i was hoping, but better late than never!! 😅

we're getting closer to jude and eddie meeting and i'm very excited hehe!! this also shed some more light on jude and rivers relationship which i'm excited to show more!!! mikey is also a character i recently added and he is portrayed by drew starkey (yes, i know i have a bunch of the outer banks cast in my stranger things fics 😅) but he fits the characters very well!!

but anyways, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and i hope y'all enjoyed!